Estonia approved killing 50% of its wolves this winter

[UngulateNerd92]

Estonia, one of the three Baltic countries, announced that it will allow hunters to kill half of its wolf population over this winter. The news shocked the local public and environmentalists. Moreover, this decision created an incentive for the Swedish government to put the re-authorization of killing wolves in Sweden up for debate.

Estonia approved killing 50% of its wolves this winter

 

[Junklekitteb]

If the public is supposedly against this decision, why are they going through with it? I assume “public” includes those who lost livestock.

 

[Jana]

If the public is supposedly against this decision, why are they going through with it? I assume “public” includes those who lost livestock.

I don´t know details about internal situation in Estonia. But based on experience from wolf hunting debates in Czechia and Slovakia, it is indeed farmers, farmer associations, local politicians from rural areas, hunters and hunter associations who demand introduced/increased wolf hunting quota. And they are supported also by a large part of "public". Depending what percentage of "public" agrees and how governmental politicians are inclined, hunting quota are set.

In Slovakia, each year this debate is done again and again. It is pretty heated, often with petitions signed by tens of thousand people for both sides, slashed tyres, demonstations.

In Czechia, farmers get mad about stock losses despite damage payments they receive. Many hunters dislike returning predators because they eat "their game stock". Some journalists add oil to the fire because it brings more readers. And some CZ people involved in politics, either in local, CZ or EU parliament, do support hunt quota because it can bring them obviously votes.

Survival of wolves in densely populated Central Europe is never-ending battle.

 

[Rayane]

I don´t know details about internal situation in Estonia. But based on experience from wolf hunting debates in Czechia and Slovakia, it is indeed farmers, farmer associations, local politicians from rural areas, hunters and hunter associations who demand introduced/increased wolf hunting quota. And they are supported also by a large part of "public". Depending what percentage of "public" agrees and how governmental politicians are inclined, hunting quota are set.

In Slovakia, each year this debate is done again and again. It is pretty heated, often with petitions signed by tens of thousand people for both sides, slashed tyres, demonstations.

In Czechia, farmers get mad about stock losses despite damage payments they receive. Many hunters dislike returning predators because they eat "their game stock". Some journalists add oil to the fire because it brings more readers. And some CZ people involved in politics, either in local, CZ or EU parliament, do support hunt quota because it can bring them obviously votes.

Survival of wolves in densely populated Central Europe is never-ending battle.

This debate has been going for ever in Switzerland, last year in fact, people voted for or against a new law about allowing the hunt of rarer carnivores (Lynx, wolves and others). Fortunately enough, something like 55/60% of the population was against it and it did not pass but, just like any other political opinion, it is really easy to manipulate people and to turn them against or for a law, and many people are scared when the farmers and sheperds tell them about the feeding frenzy a wolf pack did on the friend of a friend of their cousin's group of sheep.